


Camelot's New King

by Ravenclaw1991



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclaw1991/pseuds/Ravenclaw1991
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Morgana discovers who Emrys is, she concocts a plan to use him to usurp the throne of Camelot. Using the information given to her by The Callieach, "he is your destiny and he is your doom," she comes to a conclusion that could possibly shift things in her favor..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Morgana Pendragon was waiting. She was waiting for the return of a group of bandits she had recently employed. Well  _'employed'_  was the wrong word. It was more like 'magical coertion.' They were on a mission to attack a patrol. A patrol that happened to be led by her brother, Arthur, the King of Camelot. She wished to rid Camelot of him, and preferably that annoying thorn in her side, Merlin, once and for all. Morgana wished to claim the throne for herself, which she thought was rightfully hers.

Quite a distance away, the bandits had ambushed Arthur and his knights. They were travelling to an outlying village to check reports of a beast attacking villagers. The bandits attacked from all sides, there were at least two dozen of them. Arthur and his knights were outnumbered quite a bit.

As Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Elyan all drew their swords and lept from their horses, Merlin fell off of his. One of the bandits shot an arrow at him and he fell while trying to dodge it. He landed in a puddle of mud, face first. Soon the air was filled with nothing but grunting and the clanging of swords and the occasional swish of a flying arrow.

Percival had just defeated one of the attackers when three more charged at him. Arthur and Gwaine were currently in combat with two bandits each and Elyan and Leon fighting one each. Three were advancing on Merlin. He quickly looked to make sure the others were occupied before using a spell to cause a branch to fall over one of his attacker's heads. The other two jumped back in surprise but continued to approach him.

Merlin caused the fallen man's sword to rise into the air and pierce one of the men in the back, he crumpled with a yell and moved no more. The final man continued toward Merlin with his sword ready. Merlin glanced behind him one last time to make sure the other's couldn't see and then magically summoned one of the fallen men's swords into his hand. He was awful with a sword, but this man's skill was nothing special either. Merlin actually managed to defeat him faily quickly, earning applause from the others, who had defeated the rest of the attackers.

"Well, well, Merlin, you really aren't as incompetent as you look, are you?" Arthur asked.

"I guess not, but you're still as much of a prat as you look," Merlin retorted with a smile.

"You can't talk to me like that. I'm the king. I could have you thrown in the stocks for that," Arthur said, clearly teasing.

"But you won't, will you Princess?" Gwaine said.

"Not Merlin, no. But I swear if you call me 'Princess' one more time, Gwaine, you will be in the stocks. I'm the KING!"

"Oh, well I'd call you Queen, but that would be insulting to our lovely Queen, Gwen," Gwaine said.

Arthur stalked off toward his horse mumbling while the rest chuckled at the exchange.

Soon after, Morgana was still waiting in the same spot. Her bandits should have been back by now.  _That's what I get for sending incompetent idiots to do my dirty work. I should have just went myself,_ Morgana thought.

She turned to return to her hovel when she heard something.

 _Morgana_ , a voice said in her head.

The voice sounded familiar in a way but it sounded much older.  _Yes, who's there?_

_Keep walking forward for thirty paces, you'll see._

She continued forward until she saw a young man waiting for her. No, it couldn't be.  _Mordred?_

"Yes, Morgana. Its been a while."

"It certainly has. I've been quite busy," she laughed.

"I can tell. What are your current plans?"

"Besides trying to kill Arthur, I'm trying to find out who Emrys is. Emrys seems to constantly protect Arthur, but I have no idea who he really is. I've met him, he's an old man, but other than that I don't know."

"An old man? You certainly don't know do you?"

"No. I suppose you know better?" she asked.

"I do. I know exactly who Emyrs is and he is no old man. You know him too. He's in Camelot, right with Arthur all the time."

"The only person with Arthur all the time is Merlin. There is no way in hell Merlin is Emrys."

"That, my lady, is where you are mistaken. Your guess is completely correct."

"Merlin?" she cackled. "You've met him! He's an idiot, there is no way."

"I'm afraid there is. We Druids know of Emrys. We've met him. I know exactly who he is. This Merlin is Emrys. It all fits does it not? He is always with Arthur."

"Well, then I'll have to catch him off guard!" Morgana said.

"I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, Morgana. I too wish to see Emrys pay for what he has done to me. I shall have to go now, but if you ever need my assistance, find me. You'll know where I am when you need me."

With that, Mordred sank into the shadows and Morgana walked off in the opposite direction she was heading at first. She needed to find someone adept at kidnapping. Alator of the Catha was out of the question as he had turned on her before. It made sense now that she thought about it. Merlin was there when Alator attacked her. Gaius must have told him Merlin was Emrys and he wished to protect him.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, Merlin was in Arthur and Gwen's chambers making their bed up and stoking the fire before they came to bed. He had just finished when Gwen came in.

"Hi, Merlin," she said, smiling.

"Gwen," he smiled back. "I'm just waiting to see if Arthur needs anything else before heading to my room. Do you need anything?"

"No, thanks for asking. Maybe you should run though. Arthur isn't in the best mood and he might attempt to give you something to do that will keep you up all night. One of the elderly council members angered him earlier and it didn't go over too well. Let's just say someone will be in the stocks tomorrow morning."

Merlin laughed. "Thanks for the heads up, Gwen. I'll just see you in the morning then. Good night!"

He left the room and went the way he knew Arthur would be least likely to take. The corridor was unnaturally dark, someone had snuffed out a few of the torches along the way. He was just about to round the final corner to his and Gaius' chambers when he was struck in the head and everything went black.

When he came to he was in a clearing in the woods, tied to a tree. Merlin seemed to be alone, but he sensed someone nearby. There was a fire roaring in the center of the clearing. He heard a twig snap to his left and he looked to see Morgana stepping into view.

"Good morning, Merlin. Or should I say Emrys?"

"Is it morning? Who is Emrys?" he asked. He knew he didn't sound entirely convincing.

"Oh, I believe you know who Emrys is. I got that bit of information from a very reliable source."

"Well, I believe your reliable source is faulty, Morgana, like most of your plans. I am most certainly not this Emrys you speak of."

"Cut the rubbish, Merlin. I know you're lying. Don't even bother attempting to escape. The ropes binding you have unicorn hair woven into them."

"What difference does unicorn hair make?"

"For such a powerful sorcerer, you're very stupid, Merlin. Unicorn hair is resistant to magic and it makes it useless. Now, I could dispose of you now, but where is the fun it that?"

"If you don't plan on killing me, what are you going to do?"

"Well, that is a lot to explain. Let's start from when I first learned of Emrys, shall we? Know who first told me?"

"The Callieach. She appeared to me after you opened the veil and called me Emrys."

"Yes. She also told me you were my destiny and my doom. I've thought about it and I came to a conclusion. If I get rid of the possibility of you being my doom, you'll be my destiny."

"I don't understand," Merlin said.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? What if its my destiny to change you? To bring you over to my side and be with you?"

"I will never help you."

"I know. I have a spell that will force you. Its a rather complicated spell though. It involves a quite a bit of energy. When I'm done, it will bring out your dark side and you will be loyal to me, not Arthur. Now, I know you had a bit of a crush on me when we first met. I'm certain its still there."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Morgana."

"Don't play dumb. You wanted me from the moment we first met. That will aid the working of the spell. Are you ready to help me?" She asked the last question rhetorically of course.

Before he could even respond she used a spell to put him to sleep and then she took some of his hair. She began to walk around the fire in the clearing and began reciting a spell occasionally throwing a piece of Merlin's hair into the flames. When she was done, she walked back to Merlin and slapped him across the face so hard it was sure to leave a bruise. He jerked awake.

"How are you feeling, Merlin?"

"Fantastic. What's happening?" he asked, groggily.

"Nothing at all. Will you help me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What about Arthur?"

"That prat can help himself. Until we get rid of him, of course," he said. Morgana was rather pleased with the very un-Merlin like smirk on his face.

"Now, when you return to Camelot you need to retain the image of your former self until I arrive. You will tell Arthur you were kidnapped on your way home, as you were, but you woke up in the woods the following morning alone. That is why I'll leave the mark on your face, I'll give you a few more magically that you will not feel before you leave.

"The spell on you is strong, but it will only last for a few days on its own. I won't go into details right now because I'll need to work them out, but after the few days are up, the spell will lift once a day temporarily. Now, this is what I need you to do upon your arrival..."


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur was seeing some people in the throne room when Morgana arrived in Camelot. The court was present, as were Gwen, Gaius, the knights and several citizens. Merlin was elsewhere, as per Morgana's instructions.

Morgana strode through the city gates with her hood up. With each guard she passed, they abandoned their post and began following her. Soon she was entering the courtyard with at least two dozen guards. The peasants looked confused, but went about their business as they could not see that it was Morgana.

She burst into throne room and instantly Arthur and the knights drew their swords. "Who are you?" Arthur shouted.

"Forgotten me so soon, brother?" she laughed, removing her hood. "I'm not surprised, you always were a bit dim."

"What are you doing here, Morgana?"

"I'm here to take what is rightfully mine, of course."

"You have no claim to the throne!" Gwen and Arthur shouted at the same time.

"That's true, but with you two out of the way, I will. She waved her hand and everyone in the room was frozen in place with a flash of her eyes. She did so again as she approached Arthur and Gwen. Arthur was forced forward and Gwen was forced out of her throne. They were both forced into kneeling position before Morgana.

"Now, I don't think you will be need thing any longer, Guinevere," she smirked, taking Gwen's crown off of her head and placing it on her own. "You won't be needing your's either, brother. My king will be needing it."

"King? What man would want to marry a sadistic lunatic like you?" Gwen said.

"You may be surprised. Fortunately for you, you'll be witnessing my wedding as well as his coronation. I'll have to be crowned again as well, seeing as you stole the throne from me again." She summoned a guard forward and thrust Arthur's crown into his hands. "You! Come here!" she demanded pointing at Geoffrey of Monmouth. He stumbled up onto the dais. "Guards summon Emrys!" She didn't miss the look of utter surprise on Gaius' face.

With Geoffrey frozen in place, the guards ran from the room to summon the mysterious Emrys. "Why are my guards obeying you?" Arthur asked.

"Simple mind control spell. They're more like mindless drones at the moment," Morgana said. The doors were opened by the guards and a hooded figure strode into the room. His head bent low so that no one could see his face. He walked rather gracefully toward the front and stopped beside Morgana.

"Begin the wedding," she barked at Geoffrey.

"My lords, ladies, and gentlemen of Camelot," he stammered nervously, "we are gathered here to day to celebrate, by the ancient right of handfasting, the union of the Lady Morgana Pendragon and Emrys. Is it your wish, Emrys, to become one with this woman?"

"It is," 'Emrys' said.

"Is it your wish, Morgana, to become one with this man?"

"It is," Morgana said, smirking.

"Do any say nay?" Geoffrey asked as Morgana's eyes flashed preventing everyone in the room from talking for a few moments. "With this garland," he said as a guard gave him a length of garland, "I do tie a knot, and by doing so, bind your hands and your hearts for eternity," he finished as he tied the garland around their hands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Geoffrey said, and Morgana and Emrys leaned forward for their first ever kiss. 'Emrys' kept his head turned in such a way to prevent anyone but Morgana from seeing his face.

"Now, onto the coronation," she said rudely. She removed the crown she placed on her head earlier and shoved it into Geoffrey's hand.

"Will you, Morgana Pendragon, solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of Camelot according to their respective laws and customs?"

"I solemnly swear," Morgana said.

"Will you, to your power, cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all of your judgments?"

"Yes," Morgana said.

"By the sacred laws invested in me, I crown thee, Morgana Pendragon, Queen of Camelot." Geoffrey placed the crown on her head and she stood to stand in front of her throne.

The guard thrust the King's crown into Geoffrey's hand and he began the same ritual with Emrys.

"Will you, Emrys, solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of Camelot according to their respective laws and customs?"

"I will," Emrys said.

"Will you, to your power, cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all of your judgements?"

"Yes, I will," he responded.

"I crown thee, Emrys, King of Camelot," Emrys removed his hood for Geoffrey to place the crown on his head. Geoffrey faltered with a look of pure shock upon his face. He hesitated, until Morgana rudely cleared her throat and he placed the crown on Emrys' head.

Emrys stood and moved to his throne before turning to face the room at large. There were gasps from everyone in the room, but Gaius of course. As he held his hand out to Morgana and they sat at the same time, Arthur shouted, "Merlin!" and Gwaine shouted something rude that seemed to rhyme with "what the duck?"

"Yes, your precious Merlin has turned on you in favor of being my king," Morgana laughed. "Shocking isn't it?"

"Merlin is no traitor! What have you done to him you witch?" Arthur shouted at Morgana.

Merlin's face lit up immediately, with anger. He stood from the throne and stepped down from the dais. His eyes flashed gold and he waved his hand in an upward motion and Arthur was forced to his feet to look Merlin in the eye. Merlin's eyes were no longer blue, but a dark color, possibly even black. "Do not let me hear you speak to the queen like that ever again, Arthur Pendragon, or you will pay. With your life." He allowed another, un-Merlin-like smirk fall upon his face and it made Arthur cringe because it was so strange.

"Merlin, listen to me. She has done something to you! Snap out of it you idiot!" Before he could continue, Merlin's fist rose and stuck Arthur very hard across the face. He fell to the floor and reached for the place he was hit. It hurt, naturally, but it was mostly shocking. Shocking that Merlin had the strength to throw a punch like that.

Gwen screamed as Arthur was punched and she yelled, "Arthur! Merlin, how could you?"

He walked over to stand in front of her, doing the same to raise her to her feet as well. "How dare you address me like that? I am the king. Would anyone else like to have what Arthur here got?" he asked looking to everyone in the room. His eyes were blaring gold and almost everyone flinched.

The whole time this scene was going on, Morgana sat on her throne, smirking and enjoying her work on Merlin. He would prove to be a useful ally to her after all.

"Why don't you just kill us now?" Gwen asked to Merlin and Morgana.

"Because, I wish for you to see how wrong you are. Merlin and I will rule Camelot better than you and Arthur ever did. I want you alive long enough to see the changes we bring along, for the better of course," Morgana said.

"Guards!" Merlin yelled.

"The people will never accept you, Morgana!" Arthur shouted.

"Just wait and see. I plan to take a different approach this time, one that will benefit the people. They will love us," Morgana laughed.

"Take him to the dungeons," Merlin commanded the guards. "Take dear Guinevere, the physician, and the knights as well. Put them in the larger cell so they can keep one another company." Merlin smiled evilly as the guards disarmed Arthur and the knights and led them all to the dungeons.

"Members of the court will cooperate unless you wish to join them," Morgana said. "We have work to do!"


	4. Chapter 4

After being thrown into one of the roomier dungeons, Arthur moved to comfort Gwen and they sat down to plan a way out of this.

"Gaius," Arthur said, "please tell me that what ever spell she put on Merlin gave him magic."

"I wish I could, Sire. I know he will be angry at me for telling you this, but he is magic. He doesn't just have it."

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Merlin with magic?" Gwen asked.

"If you ask me, it makes sense," Gwaine said. "Think about it." The other knights nodded in agreement.

"Sire, what you have to understand is that Merlin only uses his magic for one purpose. That purpose is to protect you. You have a destiny written out together, its been planned since before you two were born. You're to be a great king and Merlin is to help you."

"So he's never used it to harm me or Camelot?"

"No," Gaius said. "He has saved Camelot so many times and you as well. To be honest, he has saved most of us in this cell personally at some point."

"I knew he saved me a few times, but that's it," Arthur admitted.

"He saved you from the Lady Helen impersonator, Knight Valiant, the Sidhe, the Questing Beast, Nimueh, and so many more things. He saved Gwen in the forest after she was shot with an arrow, he saved her father from that mysterious illness caused by the Afanc and he was the sorcerer that took the blame for enchanting you when Uther said Gwen had enchanted you to love her."

"If he was that sorcerer, it means he killed my father."

"He did not. He saved your father a few times. When he died, Merlin had saved him. Morgana is the one that really killed him. I found a pendant on him that was enchanted to reverse spells. Merlin really did save him, Morgana just reversed the effects. Merlin was also the one that saved Camelot by taming the Great Dragon."

"That means he's a dragonlord," Gwen said.

"Yes. The last. Balinor was his father and when he died, Merlin was given his powers. I'm not going to tell you everything because its Merlin's story to tell, not mine. I'm just trying to make you see reasons to not execute him when we get out of this mess."

"I want to hear everything from him. I don't think I could ever execute him. Only if he attacked me in his right state of mind. Do you know anything about the spell he's under now?"

"I do. Its a very complicated and powerful spell. The dark shadows and dark tinge to his eyes are side effects that prove such. The more powerful the victim is, the harder it is for the spell to hold."

"Merlin is really powerful, yeah?"

"Indeed. The most powerful there is. That means that the spell will lift once a day for a short period of time. There is a counter-enchantment that aids with that issue. If it is cast around a specific location, the victim will only be freed for a short period before becoming influenced by it again. My guess is that Morgana will have this enchantment cast somewhere and she will have Merlin restrained while it lifts."

"So if we were to get Merlin away from whatever is enchanted, the spell will lift permanently?"

"Yes, it will. It will take a bit of planning though, Sire."

"Yeah, Arthur, we need to find out where Merlin will be held," Leon pointed out.

"And what time the spell lifts," Percival continued.

"And we have to get by Morgana and guards and we have to escape from here," Elyan stated.

They immediately set out to plan an escape and how to find Merlin. They obviously needed Merlin back to his old self to defeat Morgana. After night had fallen, they continued whispered discussions until they were interrupted by the sound of approaching feet. Merlin appeared at the outside of cell door.

"Comfortable?" he asked with a slight smirk. That smirk was starting to annoy everyone already.

"Very. You know what would make us more comfortable? Being let out of this damned dungeon you idiot!" Arthur shouted the last part.

"Now, is that anyway to speak to the king?"

"Serves you right. You called me 'prat' for years."

"Because you are one. Now, if you wish to get out of this cell, you'll show some respect."

"Yes, Sire," Arthur said, rather sarcastically.

"That's a bit better. Now, I think its time for you to have a taste of your own medicine, Pendragon." 

"What do you mean?"

"I spoke with my wife, and she agrees. For the short remainder of your life, you will be my manservant. You will have to endure what I did for you for years."

"Alright, what about everyone else?"

"The Knights will stay. There is no use for them without weapons and giving them weapons would be rather counter-productive. Your wife shall once again by my wife's maidservant. The old physician can return to his normal job, can't have the people getting sick, can we?"

"Is that all?"

"Not quite. All three of you will be returned to this cell after work each day. The physician is not a threat, seeing as he is old and weak. You and Guinevere will be placed under a spell."

"And what does this spell do?" Arthur prodded.

"The spell will basically prevent you from doing anything you are not ordered to. You will also have no choice but to obey. It will be like a mind control spell except that you are aware of everything. There will be no escape."

"Very well," Arthur sighed.

"I will arrive at dawn tomorrow to preform the spell and then you will be released. I hope you all have a comfortable night," Merlin said, turning to leave. They saw the smirk return and then he laughed. The laugh gave them chills because it sounded rather evil as well.

"What has she done to our Merlin?" Gwen whispered. "Its like some evil sorcerer taking on his appearance."

"I know," Arthur said. "The good thing is that I'll be close to him so that I can keep an eye on him. We'll be able to narrow down when the spell will lift."

After his appearance in the dungeons, he returned to his and Morgana's chambers. Chambers which happened to previously belong to Arthur. It was a rather special night since they had just been married.

Merlin took some of Arthur's clothes out of the wardrobe and frowned at them. They were too big. After magically altering them, he was able to slip them on carefully while he sat down at the table to wait for Morgana.

Ten minutes later, Morgana walked it wearing a smile worthy of her former self. "I see you waited up, Merlin," she said, still smiling.

"Its our wedding night, we have to make it special you know. I couldn't just go to sleep on you." He was giving her a suggestive look.

"Oh, naughty, Merlin. Tell me, would you have been naughty like that before I changed you? Or is this something to do with my decision to change you for the better?"

"I'm not sure. I've certainly never been naughty before now, so I doubt it."

"Well, I guess we'll never know. After we have our fun, I'll have to restrain you though. The spell will life sometime during the night and I can't risk you leaving the room. I have placed the enchantment on this room to only make it temporary. If you managed to return to your old self and left this room, you would stay your old self, and we wouldn't want that would we?"

"Not at all, my queen," Merlin laughed. "There's no fun in that. Why be a simple servant to an arse when you can be king and be loved by a beautiful queen."

"Well, you know, I always kind of loved you no matter what, but I like this you better than the old you." Morgana laughed as she grabbed Merlin, kissed him, and led him backward toward the bed.

After they had their fun, Morgana used the rope woven with unicorn hair to bind him to the bed. Not in a sexual way, but just because the spell would be lifting soon. Morgana fell asleep with her head on Merlin's chest and Merlin managed to fall asleep soon after that.

Sure enough, Merlin jerked awake a few hours, he assumed, before dawn. He looked around the dark room, it was Arthur's chambers. Why was he there? He felt something on his chest and he looked down to see a head with long black hair laying there. It hit him like a brick wall.

_Oh no, I'm married to Morgana! I'm the king and all of my friends are in the dungeon. I have to get out of here somehow, he thought. I punched Arthur in the face, he's going to kill me. I just did what with Morgana!_

He tried a few spells only to remember it was useless. The rope was magic resistant. There was nothing he could do with Morgana's head on him either. He gave up hoping he could try something again tomorrow night. Its not like having Morgana sleeping with her head on his chest was a bad thing anyway.

Little did he know, Morgana had woken up when he jerked awake. She feigned sleep and she could practically hear his mind going a hundred miles an hour thinking about all the things he had recently done. She felt him softly struggling on the ropes, but he finally gave up and they both drifted back off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

He woke again at dawn with no recollection of waking up a few hours previously. He was still bound to the headboard. "Morgana," he said softly, "wake up, its morning."

"Is it?" she asked. "How did you sleep?"

"Great. This bed is definitely more comfortable than what I'm used to. What about you?"

"It was fantastic. It reminds me of my old bed here in the castle," she said happily.

"Let's get ready. I have to go rouse our new servants," he chuckled darkly. (If that was even possible.)

After getting dressed, he made his way to the dungeons. He approached the cell door to see Gaius asleep on the cot, Guinevere curled up a knight's red cape, and the others slumped against the wall, all asleep.

"Alright, wake up," he said rudely and all of them jerked awake, except for Gwaine. "Now, Arthur, Guinevere, come to the door. If any of the knights so much as attempt to stand, they will be killed immediately and without hesitation. I personally do not want to kill anyone, but I will if necessary."

"What about Gaius?" Gwen asked.

"After I have finished with you two, he will be released to do his usual duties," Arthur and Gwen hesitantly approached the cell door. " _þéod_   _æþrýtnes swá éaðlære._ " His eyes flashed gold and they were under his control. His eyes flashed again and the door opened. "Go fetch breakfast for Morgana and I and bring it to our chambers. Physician, you are free to do your duties as usual. Stray from your duties and you will pay with your life."

The three of them left the cell and Merlin slammed it shut leaving the knights inside. Arthur and Gwen made for the kitchens and Gaius made for his chambers to start working. During their absence, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, and Leon continued to work on escape plans that they would fill them on upon their return that evening.

Gwen and Arthur arrived in Merlin and Morgana's chambers about twenty minutes after his return. "You took way too long," Merlin told them.

"Sorry, Sire, but it does take time to prepare food, seeing as we were only released from the dungeons twenty minutes ago," Arthur said.

"True. Be faster next time," Merlin said.

"This is not your best work, Guinevere," Morgana snarled. "It will do though."

"Your's is better than mine," Merlin said. "This idiot is incapable of preparing anything." He was picking at the food.

"Will that be all, Sire, Your Majesty?" Gwen asked attempting to be polite.

"Yes, for now," Morgana said.

"Well, I wish for Arthur to clean my boots, muck out the stables, clean the chimney, and groom and feed and water the horses, and help me gather a few belongings from my old room" Merlin said, grinning. Arthur groaned. "And for that, after you finish that, you will be spending an hour in the stocks."

"But, Sire," Arthur complained.

"Would you like to make it two hours?"

"No, Sire," Arthur sighed. He walked over to take off Merlin's boots and went to sit in the corner with a cloth to clean them.

After this, Merlin dragged him to Gaius' chambers to gather his things. When he burst through the door, Gaius, who had been mixing a potion, nearly jumped to the ceiling.

"Sire, Merl- I mean, Sire, Arthur, can I do anything for you?" he asked.

"No, continue your work," Merlin snapped. Arthur gave Gaius a sad look. Once they entered the small room, Merlin lifted the floor board and thrust a leather book and a long staff into Arthur's arms.

"What exacty is this, Mer- Sire?" he asked.

"God, you're nosy," Merlin sneered. "That is a spell book and a Sidhe staff, you dolt."

"Oh. How did you get a Sidhe staff?"

"What is this? A million questions day? I got if from Sidhe when they tried to kill you and I made the mistake of saving your sorry, ungrateful, arse." Arthur remained silent thinking about what he said.

Hours later found Arthur heading to the stocks with Merlin. He was covered in black soot and horse dung. Merlin locked him in the stocks and had guards bring rotten vegetables to the children crowded around.

"Begin," Merlin ordered the children before sitting back to watch the show. He was relishing this moment because of when Arthur, and even Uther, had him put in the stocks before.

"I'm so sorry, King Arthur," a little boy cried.

"Its quite alright. Apparently I'm not king anymore anyway, you may as well do as you're told," Arthur told him apologetically.

The children started throwing potatoes, tomatoes, and all sorts of other rotten things at Arthur. A few of the children actually started crying because they didn't want to throw things at their beloved king.

In the meantime, Gwen was forced to clean Merlin and Morgana's chambers and follow her around most of the day carrying things she needed. She also changed the bedding because there happened to be a white stain upon it that she tried not to think about.

"I don't know if I can take another day of this!" Arthur complained when they were locked in the cell after Merlin lifted the spell and left.

"At least one more day because we need to find narrow the time down a bit more," Gaius said.

Arthur groaned and Gwaine said, "we talked while you all were gone during the day and we came up with a good plan we think. It just needs your approval."

"You spent all day with Merlin, correct?" Leon asked Arthur, who nodded. "I think we need to get another person to help. A young maid bought us food earlier today, we could ask her. Or force her."

"If we find a more exact time, we could escape and cause some sort of distraction to get Morgana away. Merlin wouldn't be able to leave, so he would be alone," Elyan said.

"And then you, Arthur, can go in, free him and get him out quickly," Percival completed.

"That's not a bad plan," Arthur admitted. "What did the witch make you do Guinevere?"

"I had to clean their chambers and follow her around all day," Gwen said. "I also had to preform the most disturbing task I have ever had to do, and remember I used to be a servant."

"What task could possibly be that terrifying?" Elyan asked.

"Changing their bedding," she gagged.

"What's so bad about that?" Gwaine asked.

"There was- oh God, I don't want to say it," she shuddered. After receiving encouraging looks from everyone she said and blurted out, "They had sex, Arthur!"

Everyone gasped. Percival, who has been getting a bit of water from the jug in the corner choked and spat some out.

"Damn!" Arthur growled. "I'll have to have the bed burned."

"Arthur, I think there are more important issues," Gwen said. "Like the fact that we need to get Merlin away from her. That sort of behavior is out of character for him. She's using him. What if she ends up bearing his child?"

That shut everyone up. Poor Merlin.


	6. Chapter 6

The following day was slightly better for Arthur. He watched his mouth and managed to avoid the stocks. He had done majority of everything the day before. The stables did not need mucking out, Merlin's boots were clean. He helped Gwen change the bedding.. again.

"You weren't kidding," Arthur said, appalled, as he and Gwen removed the bedclothes. "We need to hurry before something else happens."

"Exactly. The others should be asking the maid for help when she takes them food. If she refuses, we'll have to come up with something else," Gwen said.

A few hours later, Gwen and Arthur were forced to watch on as Merlin and Morgana addressed the citizens for the first time. Luckily for them, they were mostly ignored during the event.

"People of Camelot," Merlin stated, "Morgana and I, as your new king and queen have a few announcements."

"First off," Morgana said, "we wish to help. We will use our magic to help in any way we can."

"We are also lifting the ban of magic, from this day forward," Merlin said.

"And to celebrate, there will be a feast tonight. Anyone is welcome to attend."

Gwen and Arthur were also forced to serve at the feast that night. It was exhausting for Arthur. He finally managed to come to appreciate some of Merlin's hard work. By the end of the night, Merlin and Morgana were both rather drunk. It turns out, even evil Merlin can't hold his drinks.

Merlin ordered Gwen and Arthur into the cell and the guards led Gaius back down as well. He removed the spell on them then staggered back to his chambers with no snide remarks.

"So, will that maid help?" Gwen asked.

"Unfortunately no," Gwaine said.

"She said she'd love to, but she's terrified. I can hardly blame her," Leon said.

"Yeah, but we managed to come up with another plan," Elyan admitted.

"What plan?" Arthur asked.

"Gaius, you can use magic right?" Percival asked.

"Yes, I'm a bit rusty, but I'm sure I can do something small," Gaius said.

"Good. You unlock the door with magic, then one or two of us attack some guards and change into their gear and sneak up to their chambers and keep watch," Percival said.

"It should be easy, too," Gwen said. "They both got rather drunk tonight."

"What if I just trick the guards tonight to get the keys to let us out. Tomorrow night, Gaius will probably have to use magic during our escape. I'm going to spy tonight, who's going with me?"

"I will, Sire," Elyan said.

"Good man, Elyan," Arthur clapped him on the shoulder.

"When do we start?" Gwen asked.

"In an hour, give them time to go to sleep," Arthur answered. "After we're out, we'll knock a few guards out. Then we steal their clothes and head out. After we're gone, get rid of the bodies so there is no evidence."

An hour later, they put their plan into action. Gaius unlocked the door with a simple spell and Arthur and Elyan slipped down the corridor. Arthur sneaked up behind a guard, grabbed him by the neck and rammed his head into a wall, knocking him out cold. Around the corner, Elyan did the same. Arthur and Elyan quickly stripped their clothes off while the Gwaine and Leon stripped the guards of their armor.

"Remember, when we're gone, hide the bodies somewhere," Arthur reminded them as he and Elyan put on the guards' armor.

Soon they were walking through the castle attracting no attention with their faces held under the helmets. They approached Arthur's old chambers and checked the door.

"Apparently they were too drunk to bolt it shut," Elyan whispered. "I'll keep watch out here, you go in and keep an eye on Merlin."

"Be careful," Arthur warned as he quietly opened the door, slid inside silently and hid in the shadows behind a drape.

Peeking toward the bed, he saw Merlin tied to the headboard and he was fast asleep. Morgana, on the other hand, was sprawled all over the other side of the bed. She clearly had too much to drink. Merlin could never handle his drinks, but he noticed Merlin only having two goblets of wine, so he wasn't too bad off.

Arthur stood silently, hardly daring to breathe for what felt like an eternity. It had to be a few hours at least. That's when he noticed Merlin jerk awake. Merlin glanced at Morgana and tried to free himself again. He even used magic to try to find a dagger to cut the ropes. It turned out that the ropes made his magic completely useless, not just against the ropes, but entirely.

 _Forget the plan,_ Arthur thought.  _I've got to save Merlin while I have the chance._ Morgana was clearly out cold, this was the perfect opportunity. He removed the helmet and stepped into the moonlight coming into the room.

Merlin started, wide-eyed. 'Arthur?' he mouthed. 'Help!'

Arthur nodded and glided over to the bedside cabinet. He eased the drawer open and rummaged around for a dagger. He reached over Merlin, constantly glancing at Morgana, and cut the ropes. He lifted Merlin out of the bed, seeing as rolling out might have disturbed Morgana. After planting Merlin firmly on his feet, he grabbed his arm and tiptoed from the room.

Elyan was waiting sliently outside when they slid out of the room. "Merlin!" he whispered.

"Elyan," Merlin said sofly, smiling. "Oh, Arthur I'm so sorry for everything. Locking you in the dungeons, in the stocks, punching you in the face."

"Merlin, its alright. We know you weren't yourself. I'm not mad about the magic either. Gaius explained, though I want it all from you later. I need to get you to Gaius really quickly. Act as you usually have been until we get there."

"Merlin!" everyone said, surprised, when they reached the dunegon.

"I'm so sorry, everyone," he began.

"Merlin, its not your fault. I do think you're going to have to go back though," Gaius said.

"Why?" Gwen asked.

"Well, it would be the perfect way to catch Morgana off guard," Gaius said. "You can just pretend until you can make a move."

"What about his appearance?" Gwaine asked, noticing the lack of dark eyes.

"What about it?" Merlin asked, confused.

"The spell had dark circles under your eyes and your eyes were very dark as well. I think I have a spell that can duplicate the effects without the attitude change."

Gaius used it and the effects returned.

"Perfect," Arthur said. "Leave the planning to us. I know I changed the plan without consent, but it was the perfect opportunity to get him out of there. Morgana was out cold."

"Serves her right. Using Merlin like that," Gwen said.

"You don't know the half of it," Merlin muttered, turning red.

"We do," Percival said sadly.

"What she did was awful," Leon said.

"What, exactly, are you talking about?" Merlin asked. "So I'm sure its the samething."

"Merlin, we know she, um,  _soiled_ your innocence," Gwen whispered.

"How?"

"I found the evidence while changing the bedding," Gwen said. "Twice."

Merlin just groaned. "How embarrassing!"

"It'll be alright, Merlin, just know you'll be burning the bed when this is over," Arthur said, patting him on the back. "We have to get a move on if you're gonna get back before she wakes."

"Alright. Let me get some normal rope. She had me bound with rope that had unicorn hair in it. It prevents me from using magic. I'll use magic and tie myself up again so she won't suspect. Gaius, will this spell last?"

"It should. Arthur should be near you at all times. He'll keep an eye on it. You know the spell if it starts to fade."

"Good. I'll get the rope and head back now. I'll apologize in advance for the rude things I'll have to say tomorrow. See you all in a few hours." Merlin turned to leave before turning around and asking Gaius, "do you think the dragon could help?"

"Possibly. Sneak out tomorrow or bring it up to Morgana. She already knew Emrys was a Dragonlord after you had him attack Agravaine's army," Gaius said. "Let her think the dragon might be able to help in her plans, and she'll let you go. Now hurry!"

He found some extra rope and returned to bed. He eased himself down onto the bed and used magic to get rid of the old ropes before using magic to make the rope snake around him and tie him up again. Merlin then lay still for a while trying to attempt to go back to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning, Merlin roused Morgana with his knee and woke her up after several minutes. She untied him and never expected anything different in his appearance or attitude. He returned to the dungeon to release Arthur. Gwen and Gaius.

"She didn't expect anything," Merlin whispered to everyone as he opened the door. "Sorry, you all still have to stay in here, I can't release you without raising suspicion," he told the knights.

"Its alright, Merlin. At least try to get us decent food, please," Gwaine said. "And maybe some ale."

"No alcohol. Sorry, Gwaine," Merlin laughed, "but I will see about the food. Gwen, Arthur, you'll have to go get our breakfast, tell them I said to send decent food to the prisoners. I'll have to make some snide remarks to remain in character, so sorry about it."

"Say whatever you need, Merlin. As long as it fools Morgana," Arthur said.

"Make sure you talk to the dragon, Merlin, he might be of use," Gaius said.

"I'll figure something out," Merlin smiled as he shut the door and headed back to his room and the others headed off in their own direction.

Soon after, Gwen and Arthur arrived with the breakfast and they started to attend to the duties Merlin and Morgana assigned them. Merlin was struck with the idea to be rude, and he felt bad, but in a way it was the truth.

"Arthur, where the hell did you get this? The rubbish bin? It tastes terrible. I should have you thrown in the stocks for your incompetence."

"Sorry, Sire, would you like for me to fetch you something else from the kitchens?" Arthur asked politely.

"No, its quite alright. Continue your duties. I've eaten worse before," he said before turning to Morgana. "Morgana, I thought of something that could aid in your plans. I'll have to leave the castle for a few hours today though. I want it to be a surprise."

"Sure," she smiled. "Coming from you, I know I will be surprised. You surprised me even before I took control of you."

"You'll love it. Arthur! Go ready two horses. You are coming with me. You may be of use," Merlin snarled.

"Right away, Sire." Arthur turned to give Gwen a small smile before hurrying from the room.

An hour later, Arthur and Merlin were riding into the forest.

"So, Merlin, what about you telling me I killed the last dragon?" Arthur asked as they rode through trees.

"Sorry about that. I lied. I ordered him to never attack Camelot again," Merlin said. Arthur pondered silently for a few moments. "Arthur?"

"Yes, Merlin?"

"You're not angry about me having magic are you?"

"I'm angry, but not because you have magic. I'm angry because you didn't tell me. I'm sure if I had found out before now, you'd be in trouble though. Gaius explained the general story to me, but I still want the full story from you."

"I promise, I'll tell you everything. Sorry for not telling you, but I was scared. First it was your father, then I was scared you would order my execution because you held the same views as he did."

"Normally I do, but I trust you, Merlin. I'm certain you'll help me see the error of my father's ways."

"Thank you, Arthur. Here we are." They had just entered the meadow.

"So how do you get him here?"

"I just call him. Watch." Merlin looked away from Arthur and spoke in a harsh, deep voice.

Several minutes later the dragon flew overhead in a circle and landed before Merlin. He bowed his head and said, "I see you've told the young Pendragon your secret, Merlin."

"Not exactly. I technically haven't said anything. It was Morgana."

"What has the witch done?"

"She somehow discovered I was Emrys and had me kidnapped. She put some sort of spell on my to turn me evil or something. I've been under her control for a few days. Last night Arthur rescued me. Now we need a help on how to defeat her."

"As I have told you once before Merlin, you ought to have killed her."

"I can't! I don't want to have to do that. There must be another way."

"As strange as it sounds, I don't want her dead either," Arthur spoke up. "Even with all she's done, I couldn't imagine never seeing her again."

"Well, she is your sister after all," Merlin said.

"What about you, Merlin? There must be some reason as to why you do not want her dead. Could it be you have feelings for her?" the dragon asked.

"Um.." Merlin said. Both Arthur and Kilgharrah stared at him until he broke. "Alright! I've liked her basically since I met her. We are married now, not that I ever expected it to happen anyway, and not under these circumstances."

"And so he confesses his feelings," Arthur said jokingly. "The marriage is legitimate anyway. Geoffrey performed it himself. It will be difficult to break."

"What exactly did she say to you before all of this, Merlin?" Kilgharrah asked.

"She said the Callieach told her I was her destiny and her doom. She thought about it and said that if she removed the doom part, I was her destiny, which she took to mean it was her destiny to change me and force me to ally myself with her."

"Well, why not twist the meaning another way and attempt to prove it to her?" The dragon reared up and got ready to take off.

"What do you mean?" Merlin yelled.

"Think about it, Merlin. You can be clever sometimes."

"Did you understand that?" Merlin asked Arthur.

"Not really. I think he wants you to change around what Morgana told you. I'm sure you can come up with something."

"She thought it was her destiny to change me, right? What if its her destiny to be changed by me? The part about me being her doom, what if I am to be the doom of her current self so that she will be her old self again?"

"I like that, Merlin. You're definitely smarter than you look. You can change her, I can be king again, she'll come home and you can stay married to her and live happily ever after?"

"You would let me stay married to her?"

"Yes. Firstly, marriages are difficult to end. Especially if both sides will not consent to ending it. I'm sure she wouldn't. Secondly, you love her and I'm certain she feels the same because why else would she marry you? She could've made you her consort or something, but she chose to marry you and make you her king."

"Makes sense. Now, I think we should make a start tomorrow. I'll get her drunk tonight or something so she passes out, then I'll bind her with that unicorn rope and we'll confont her in the morning."

When they returned to Camelot, they found Morgana in the throne room. Merlin strode up to sit beside her while Arthur made his way over to stand next to Gwen.

"What was this surprise you left about?" she asked Merlin.

"Oh. I figured it would be nice to have help from a dragon."

"Dragon?" she asked confused, then she realised. "That's right. I forgot you were a Dragonlord."

"Yes. I went to speak to him. He has to obey, so when ever we need him, he will come. I just informed him of the changes that have happened since we last spoke."

"Good." Morgana leaned over, closed her eyes and kissed Merlin. He looked surprised, but then he recovered remembering to keep up pretenses. She appeared not to notice. The kiss was rather heated and lasted for what seemed like several minutes until someone cleared their throat.

That evening, Merlin and Morgana had their supper served in their chambers by Arthur and Gwen. Both bustled about with anxious looks on their faces. Merlin made sure Morgana kept drinking as long as possible. One time Arthur accidentally knocked Merlin's goblet into his lap.

"You idiot! You will spend the entire day in the stocks tomorrow for your incompetence. Your wife will have to carry both of your duties." Merlin gave Arthur an apologetic look when Morgana turned her head away. He used magic to clean up the mess.

As bad as he is at most things, Merlin seemed quite a good actor. Morgana seemed fooled. After several more drinks, Morgana's head slumped onto the table. She was asleep. Merlin gave Arthur and Gwen a look and picked Morgana up and carried her to the bed. He kissed her on the forehead before 'ordering' the other two from the room.

When they arrived in the dungeons, Gaius was waiting for them. "She's out. When I get back, I'll use the ropes on her. I won't even lock this door tonight. Let yourselves out at dawn and go to the throne room. I will bring her there myself."

Once back in the bed chambers, Merlin found Morgana sitting up in the bed. He would have to restrain her after she went back to sleep.

"Where were you?"

"Had to return the servants to the dungeons," he said. "I put you in bed before I left because you passed out on the table."

"Thank you." She patted the bed beside her. He moved over to sit on the edge and she crawled over to him. Next thing Merlin knew, Morgana was on top and kissing him. He was quite terrified because he had never done this before, well, not without being under a spell. After pulling his shirt off, she tied him to the bed again, using the normal rope he placed next to the bed.

Several hours later, he lay awake listening to Morgana's soft breathing. She had essentially taken advantage of him while he was in his right state of mind. Quietly, he muttered a spell that caused the unicorn rope to come from under the bed and snake its away around Morgana. It slowly bound her feet and her arms and secured her to the bed. She never woke. Merlin drifted off to sleep not even bothering to get rid of the ropes binding him.


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin woke up to a sharp gasp the following morning. Morgana had woken up to find herself restrained and she was struggling, at least that's what it sounded (and felt) like. He rolled over to look at her.

"Merlin, what's going on? How did this happen? Its the same rope I put on you. Who did this?"

"I haven't the slightest clue," he said, feining terror. He just realised that he was bound with ropes as well and remembered he didn't remove them last night. He wasn't a suspect.

"I will have who ever did this flogged and thrown in the dungeons to rot," Morgana snarled.

"Calm down. Someone will be in to check on us when we aren't seen elsewhere," Merlin assured her. He rolled over onto his side with his back to her and muttered a sleeping spell. He knew it worked when he felt her become still and her breathing was slower.

The sun was just beginning to rise and peek through the closed drapes as Merlin lifted Morgana into his arms a few minutes later. He carried her through the castle to the throne room. The guards outside opened the doors for him and he entered to find Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, and the knights waiting for him.

"What did you do to her?" Arthur asked.

"Just used a sleeping spell on her," Merlin answered. "She won't wake until I reverse it."

"I see. So what is the plan?" Arthur asked.

"I was thinking, what if we give her a taste of her own medicine. Make her think her spell has gone wrong and I'm beyond her control and I'm taking over. She was terrified when she first met 'Emrys.' I'd never seen her so scared. I think she would be rather frightened of me."

"What does that have to do with what the dragon said?" Gaius asked.

"Well, maybe if she is put through what her victims were put through, it would make her see how wrong she was. After that I'll talk with her and make her see sense."

"Merlin, are you sure you aren't actually evil?" Arthur asked.

"I'm certain, though, this would mean I need to act as king for the time being. Trust me Arthur, I would never want to be king. That is your job."

"I trust you. Now what do we do?"

They left the unconsious Morgana on the floor and arranged the final details of this plan. Merlin replaced the spell on the guards with another so they would follow his orders only. Gwen, Arthur, and Gaius were to continue what they had been doing for the last few days while the knights acted as though they were under a spell similar to the one on the guards.

Merlin changed into something more befitting of a king and wore Arthur's crown. The second throne was removed and Merlin was seated in the remaining throne. Arthur went to ask the council members to avoid the main parts of the castle so the plan wouldn't be put at risk. Morgana was to believe the members disagreed with Merlin and he murdered them so she would think she created a monster.

After everyone took their places, Merlin removed the sleeping spell that was on Morgana. "Good morning, my lady," he said. He wore a smirk Morgana would have been proud of a few days previously.

"M-Merlin?" she stammered. "Why am I tied up?" She noticed the missing throne and asked, "Where is my throne?"

"Oh, I don't think you will be needing it anymore, Morgana. Camelot is mine and only mine now."

"What happened to you? My spell -"

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed. "You two," he pointed at Gwaine and Percival, "take this witch to the dungeons."

As they lifted her and carried her from the room, she shrieked, "Merlin! How could you?" Then she was gone.

"How was that?" Merlin asked the others.

"Pretty convincing," Elyan said.

"Yeah, I almost believed you were under a spell for a second," Gwen laughed.

"Take this," Merlin said handing Arthur the crown. "Its yours and I don't feel comfortable wearing it."

"What do we do now?" Leon asked.

"All right, Gwen, go to the kitchens and get some food to take to Morgana. Nothing fancy. Gaius, go with her and pretend to check her for injuries or something."

"What do we do if she asks us what happened to you?" Gaius asked.

"Lie and pretend you're terrified. Say I released you this morning and turned up with her unconsious and I put spells on the knights. If she asks for you to release her, say no because I'll kill you if you do. Make her think you and Arthur are still under that spell I had you under while I was under her control, Gwen."

"Got it," Gwen said as she and Gaius rushed from the room.

"What are we going to do now?" Arthur asked Merlin.

"Well, I'll give it a few hours and confront her. I need to think about what I'm going to say to her though."

"Make her feel guilty," Elyan said. "She used you, so use that to your advantage."

"Yeah, and make her think you're going to repay the favour," Leon suggested.

"And make sure you bring up what the dragon said," Arthur reminded him.

After Gwaine, Percival, Gwen, and Gaius returned, they discussed what he would do. The others made suggestions as well. A few hours later, he sent Gwaine and Percival to get Morgana.

"Everyone ready?" Merlin asked as Arthur handed him the crown and he sat down upon the throne. They nodded. Morgana was led into the room several minutes later. She looked rather terrified, as Merlin had predicted, and it seemed as if she had been crying. "Welcome back, Morgana."

"What happened, Merlin? Why aren't you under my control anymore?"

"I do not know. It seems as if your spell mutated into something else. I do know that I do not like being used Morgana. What have you got to say for that?"

"I-I-," she stammered.

"Exactly. Now you will be the prisoner. You will be bound everynight, you will be used. I still need you so I can keep up appearances, for now. My next step is to take control of the rest of the Five Kingdoms."

"That wasn't my plan," Morgana said.

"No. It wasn't. I planned that on my own. Have you thought about what you told me that morning in the woods anymore?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your reasoning behind capturing me and taking control. Making sure I wouldn't be your doom, but it was your destiny to be with you. I thought about it and you were wrong. I know another way to interperate it." He paused for Morgana to respond, but she remained silent. "What if I was to be your doom as in the doom to your new-self?"

"I don't understand."

"Of course not. Do you remember how you used to be? Before I poisoned you and Morgause took you? You were a friend and you were an amazing person. What if it was your destiny to become that again, by my hand?"

"That is not going to happen."

"Why not? You have no reason to be angry at anyone anymore. Uther, the one person you hated, is dead. Arthur is not like him. You have no claim to the throne. You were an illegitimate child, it was not your birth right. Nothing will change that. Besides, what did he ever do to you to cause such anger towards him."

"Why do you care? You're obviously controlling eveyone here with magic. You're no better than me."

"I am not controlling anyone. Am I?"

"No," Arthur confirmed, stepping closer to Merlin. "He's right Morgana. I understand your hatred towards my father, but what have I done? I am not Uther. I have accepted Merlin for what he is, I have already done the same for you, except you continued to hate me." Merlin stood up and let Arthur sit on the throne.

"You mean to say you aren't under a spell?" she asked Merlin.

"No. I haven't been for days. I've just been acting. So will you take us up on the offer? If you give up trying to kill us all and trying to take the throne, Arthur will allow you to return with a full pardon."

"What choice do I have? I can't get away with anything because you are obviously more powerful than I am."

"That, I am. I also want you to know that my feelings for you were always there. Your spell did nothing to amplify them."

"I thought as much. I've come to terms with mine since I put the spell on you. Since we are married, you know that makes you royalty now, right?"

"I guess it does. Looks like I'm no longer a servant, Arthur!"

"Well, to be honest, even if you hadn't come to that realisation, I would have fired you and gave you a new position anyway," Arthur pointed out.

"What position?" Merlin asked and Arthur looked at Gwen.

"Court Sorcerer," Gwen smiled.

"Ah, but I am not a sorcerer. I'm a warlock."

"Alright, Merlin, you're the damn Court Warlock. Happy?" Arthur snapped.

"Very."

"Since I'm staying, can you get these ropes off me?" Morgana asked. "Then we can spend some real time together as husband and wife. If that's all right with you, that is."

"It is," Merlin smiled, cutting the ropes and helping her to her feet.

"Before you do anything," Arthur spoke up, "I do have one job for you."

"What is that?" Merlin asked.

"Burn my bed and see to it that I have a new one by tonight."

"As you wish, King Prat." Morgana laughed for the first time in a while at that.

"You can't talk to me like that."

"Really? What are you going to do?" Merlin challenged.

"I'd suggest the stocks, but I know you could get out. Unless there is some more of that special rope around here."

"No! There isn't. I had it all burned. Anyway, forgive me Sire, Morgana and I must be going," Merlin said quickly, turning and dragging Morgana towards the door. He heard Arthur laughing behind him as they left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

"So, are you really going to change for us? For me?" Merlin asked Morgana as they stood on the battlements looking into the distance.

"Yes. I think you're right. I have no reason to hate Arthur, I've killed so many innocent people, and not to mention, I'll never defeat you."

"I'm glad you've seen reason. Look at the upside, we can use our magic together to defend Arthur and Camelot. Plus, you are a queen anyway."

"How so?"

"You're my queen," he said knowing it was corny. "Also, in a way, I could be a king-like figure in the magical community because I'm very respected. If that's to be believed, you really would be my queen."

"I had no idea. I know one thing, I'm glad you tried to help me see reason. Its much better to be around people that care than be alone and full of hatred for no reason. I hated Arthur for no reason and I hated Gwen because she married Arthur."

"The only person you have the right to hate is me," Merlin admitted.

"True, but I don't. I used to, but I forgive you for poisoning me. I know your reasoning behind it and I know I would have made the same kind of choice if I were in your position."

"Thank you," Merlin said and he gave her a kiss.

"Do you realise that was our first real kiss. Neither of us was under a spell this time or pretending to be."

"I didn't think of that."

Morgana smiled. "If I'm to be completely truthful, I've been wanting to come back for some time. I started to realise that after I used the Formorroh on you, sorry about that, by the way. After I left you in the bog for Arthur to find I was so alone. Having only Agravaine visiting was so very annoying. I could not stand that man, I truly wanted him dead."

"So I guess I did you a favour by killing him. That was the worst I ever felt. In my defense he did attack first, but I still felt terrible."

"I was right about that, then? It was you that sent the dragon to burn the army."

"Yes. Speaking of the dragon, maybe we should talk to him. I can rub it in his face about not having to kill you. I never wanted to and I flat out refused to everytime he said I should. I even think he was doubtful of that approach I took this time when he was the one that gave me the idea."

"He sounds really annoying."

"You have no idea. I've been thinking, I know we are technically married now, but do you think we should redo it the right way. That way my mother will be there, I can propose and we can have a real wedding where we both have a choice."

"I think that would be great. I think Arthur should perform the ceremony this time so it will be even more special."

"Its settled. I will propose when the moment is right so it will be a kind of surprise like it should be. For now, we will behave as though we are not married until then."

That night, Merlin sat alone in his new chambers working. He was creating a special ring for Morgana using magic. He flipped through his spell book looking for suggestions. He wanted it to be special and unique.

He spent half of the night up working and was very late to his first council meeting the following morning. He pulled on some clothes and ran from his room. He ran until he reached the corridor where the council chambers were. He skidded to a halt and the guards let him in.

"Merlin. How nice of you to join us," Arthur said sarcastically as Merlin entered. "I expected as much. You are an hour late."

"Sorry. I was up all night working on something."

"What could be more important than the council?"

"Well, King Prat, I will tell you that in secret after the meeting."

"You can't talk to me like that!"

"I always do and you never do anything about it! I'm the only one you let get away with it!"

"That's true. Maybe I should change that. Don't make me use you as a dummy during training."

"Yeah, like you ever would. You only let me talk to you like that because I keep things unpredictable. Everyone else bows before you and listens to orders. I don't and I think you like that."

"Gentlemen!" one of the elder council member shouted. "Can we please get started, Sire, Lord Merlin? We've been waiting for some time now."

"Lord Merlin?" Merlin asked.

"Yes. I feel it is a fitting title. I would knight you, since you deserve it but I don't think 'Sir Merlin' sounds too great."

"It doesn't. I'm find with Lord. I was not expecting that."

"Well, you are married to Morgana and she is a Lady. Speaking of Morgana. I am delievering a speech about her redemption this afternoon and we are having a feast to celebrate tonight."

"A feast? Perfect," Merlin said smiling.

"What?"

"Tell you later, Arthur."

"So," Arthur said after the council was dismissed an hour later, "what did you want to tell me?"

"Morgana and I are getting married. Properly this time. The feast tonight is perfect for me to propose. I will invite my mother for the wedding and we want you to perform it this time."

"I can do that. What were you up all night doing?"

"Making this," Merlin said, pulling out a ring. It was gold with tiny rubies and a single tiny emerald set in it. The Pendragon colours. "The emerald matches her green eyes, that's why its there."

"Beautiful. You made it from magic?"

"I did. It was difficult, but I managed. Also, tell no one, but I put a few spells on it afterward."

"What kind of spells?"

"Its not that I don't trust Morgana, but I put a few spells on it to prevent her from performing any dark magic. Just in case she has some kind of relapse or maybe some evil sorcerer using some mind control spell on her. I made this ring for me," Merlin said revealing an identical ring, but instead of an emerald, there was a tiny sapphire. "It has identical spells for the same reason. I don't want to be ambushed by some sorcerer and be forced to do evil with my magic."

"The sapphire matches your eyes."

"Exactly. Not to mention, its my favourite colour."

"Tell no one right? Not even Guinevere."

"Exactly. She might tell Morgana. Morgana knows I'm going to propose, but she doesn't know when. She might think it will happen tonight, but she doesn't know when exactly."

The day progressed uneventfully. Arthur delivered his speech revealing Merlin as Court Warlock and pardoning Morgana's actions. The crowd applauded but not very enthusiastically. It would take time for them to understand completely.

By the time the feast started that evening, Merlin was rather dead on his feet. He took his place at the high table beside Arthur while Morgana sat on Gwen's other side. Arthur welcomed everyone and seated himself and everyone helped themselves as servants meandered through the room with jugs of wine.

"When are you going to do it?"

"Wait until at least halfway through the feast. I have a feeling she thinks I'll do it at the end."

After the second course had been served, Arthur stood. "Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have you attention please. Lord Merlin has an announcement."

Merlin stood and walked to the other end of the table, stopping beside Morgana. She smiled. He kneeled and said, "although we are already married, Morgana, would you marry me? Properly this time?"

"Yes!" she said and as soon as he stood she kissed him. The room burst into applause.

"Arthur, we'll talk about everything else in the morning. I'm exhausted and I think I'm going to bed early. Enjoy the rest of your night, Morgana," Merlin said, smiling.


	10. Chapter 10

The following morning, everyone congregated in the council chambers to finalise the arrangements.

"Elyan and Gwaine, I want you to ride to Ealdor and escort Hunith to Camelot. Should they tell her Merlin? Or should they wait so you can do the honour?"

"I don't really know. I can go with them of course, but I might be needed here for other things. Gaius, what do you think?"

"Tell her when she arrives. She would much rather hear it from you, in person."

With that, Gwaine and Elyan left to have their horses saddled and prepare for their departure. Arthur sat in thought for several minutes before speaking.

"Merlin, I've been thinking."

"Don't do that, you might hurt yourself," Merlin told him. Morgana and Gwen started laughing.

Arthur scoffed. "Moving on. As I said, I've been thinking. Maybe its time to start some new traditions. Since I will be officiating this disaster." Morgana raised her eyebrows threateningly. "I mean, wedding, we should change things. We are entering a new age, why not start knew traditions to go with it."

"What did you have in mind?" Morgana asked.

"Well, you know how the ceremony normally goes. I wish to start a tradition where the man and the woman exchange words. Um, I'm not sure how to put it."

"I think you're looking for the word 'vows,' Sire," Gaius said.

"Yes, thank you, Gaius," Arthur said. "Vows. So think of something to say to one another during the ceremony."

Gwen and Morgana were left to arrange everything from flowers to the banquet afterward. They spend the next few days giving tasks to servants and taking care of many tasks themselves. Gwen, Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana sat together arranging announcements to neighbouring kingdoms with an accompanying letter explaining the shocking events.

"Who is next on the list, Merlin?" Gwen asked, the evening they were doing the announcements.

"Princess Mithian of Nemeth," Merlin answered.

They complete announcements to King Lot of Essetir, Mithian, King Olaf, Lord Godwyn and Princess Elena of Gawant, Queen Annis of Caerleon, Bayard of Mercia, Lords and Ladies of Camelot, and other royalty of the Five Kingdoms.

The following morning, Gwaine and Elyan returned with Hunith. She looked rather worried. Merlin was with Morgana discussing something so Gwen and Arthur greeted her on the front steps.

"Sire, is something wrong with Merlin? Is he in trouble? Gwaine and Elyan said they didn't know what to tell me, only that I had to come to Camelot,"

"I think he's in trouble," Arthur mumbled. Hunith's eyes widened.

"Arthur!" Gwen snapped. "No, no, Hunith, don't worry he's fine. Merlin wants to tell you himself though, he's in the throne room."

When they entered the throne room, Hunith looked surprised at the flowers around the room. "Is someone getting married?"

"Sort of," Arthur said. "Merlin!"

Merlin ran over to them. "Mother! I'm glad you got here so fast," he said hugging her. Morgana walked over slowly and stopped behind Merlin.

"Is that the Lady Morgana?" Hunith whispered to Merlin, Gwen and Arthur.

"Yes. Its rather a complicated and long story. Let me get you a chair because you might want to sit for this." He used a spell to summon a chair quickly for Hunith to sit in. He began to tell the story and Hunith listened carefully. When he finished, she sat in shock.

"So, you're married?" she asked confused.

"Technically, yes. But we are going to do it the right way this time."

"So you're getting married. Again?"

"Yes," Morgana said, speaking up for the first time. "I've been wrong and I've been angry at the wrong people. I was doubting myself, but Merlin helped me to see how wrong I was definitely."

"So, you definitely love one another? There's no other reason for this?"

"No." Merlin hesitated before continuing. Admitting this to his mother was embarrassing. "To be honest, I've liked Morgana from the moment I first saw her all those years ago."

"And I always liked Merlin as well. I never proceeded with anything because I didn't think it would amount to anything. But here we are."

"I have absolutely no problem. I just wished I could've found out sooner."

"Well, Mother, if it makes you feel better, we are essentially ignoring the original wedding since I had no say at the time. Arthur will be officiating the ceremony and he is going to begin new traditions."

"I hope I get to have some input and not all of the work is complete," Hunith smiled.

"Of course not," Gwen said. "Morgana and I have been working on everything, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you helping with the finishing touches."

"Not at all. I'd actually be offended if you didn't want to help!" Morgana laughed.

"Now that everything is settled, I'll just take you to Gaius so you can get comfortable," Merlin said escorting Hunith to the door.

Instead of taking her straight to Gaius', Merlin took her to his new chambers. He left her standing there while he grabbed a tiny bundle from the bedside drawer. He returned to his mother and untied the not.

"I thought I would show you these. Arthur is the only person who has seen them so make sure you tell no one. I made them myself."

"They're beautiful. I guess this one is for Morgana?" she asked holding up the one with the tiny emerald. "The emerald matches her eyes just as the sapphire in this one matches your eyes."

"Precisely. I've never seen anything quite like these before and I wanted to make something that was unique."

"Well, these certainly are. The Lady Morgana is lucky to have you."

"If you say so. You know, I'm technically a Lord now?"

"Are you really? I suppose you are. Lord Merlin, the Court Warlock. That sounds perfect."

"It takes some getting used to. It certainly sounds better than 'Sir Merlin.' I'm glad Arthur knows now, I just hate the way he found out."

"I know, but at least he trusts you. It had to be a shock to him."

The next day, which was the day before the wedding, the royal guests arrived. A few Lords and Ladies from around Camelot came. Princess Mithian, Lord Godwyn and Princess Elena, and Queen Annis were the only royalty to turn up.

Some of the royalty and nobility they invited that did not come sent extravagent gifts. Those did not intrest Merlin. He was more touched by the few important people that actually came. King Lot of Esseitr and King Alined did not respond at all. King Olaf sent an apology for his absense stating that Vivian would not allow him to leave without her and she was still under the influence of the enchantment Alined had placed on her and Arthur last time she was in Camelot.

The following afternoon found the throne room packed with people. Merlin stood on the dais with Arthur while everyone else was seated in the crowd. Merlin was wearing a new outfit Arthur ordered Merlin to visit the royal tailor to get fitted for. He said it was 'more befitting for nobility.'

Morgana entered the room and slowly walked down the aisle toward the dais. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that flowed around her like water. She looked amazing in any colour, but blue was one colour that looked the most beautiful on her. When Morgana approached the dais, stopped next to Merlin who had stepped down.

"We are here today to witness the official joining of the Lord Merlin and the Lady Morgana. We will begin with your vows. Merlin."

"Morgana," Merlin began, he was rather nervous, "I love you and I will be with you unil the end of time. I promise to never poison you ever again, as well."

Morgana gave him a smile as Arthur looked at her and said, "Morgana?"

"Merlin, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone and I am eternally greatful for you helping me see how wrong I was. I promise to never use my magic against you again."

Arthur nodded at a young woman holding a pillow with the rings on it and she approached. Arthur continued speaking. "With that said, Merlin, do you wish to be joined with Morgana until the day you die?"

"I do," Merlin said as he picked up the ring with the emerald in it. Morgana gasped at the sight of it. He slipped it onto her finger. It was a bit big, so Merlin used magic to shrink it to the perfect size.

"Do you, Morgana, wish to be joined with Merlin until the day you die?"

"I do," she said as she picked up the second ring. She examined it for a second before slipping it onto Merlin's finger.

"Does anyone say nay?" There was silence. "I now pronounce you to be joined for enternity as husband and wife."

The room filled with applause as Merlin and Morgana kissed. "That went brilliantly," Merlin muttered.

"It really did," Morgana laughed.

"Now, if everyone will proceed to the banquet all, we will continue with the celebrations," Arthur announced. He lowered his voice as everyone rose from their seats and exited the room, "did you find that ceremony to your expectations?"

"It was better than I thought. I was completely rubbish at coming up with something for a vow though," Merlin admitted.

"It was perfect," Morgana said. "I'm glad to know you will never poison me again." She winked and he blushed and opened his mouth. "Don't apologise! I've already told you you're forgiven."

"If you insist," Merlin told her.

Gwen approached them and they headed for the banquet hall. As they walked, Morgana asked, "Where did you find these beautiful rings?"

"I made them," Merlin responded. "I wanted something unique, and I think these are unique."

"They are. The sapphire in your's matches your eyes." She was smiling.

"The emerald in your's matches  _your_ eyes. I also put a few counter enchantments on them," he told her. He owed her this much, but he wouldn't tell her every spell on them. "As long as we have these, no enemy can attack us. I mean, he or she could still do so physically, but he or she couldn't control us or use any sort of spells that attack the mind." She nodded her approval.

Arthur and Gwen entered the banquet hall first as the King and Queen. Everyone remained standing. After they reached their seats at the high table, Merlin and Morgana entered. After Arthur and Gwen were seated, everyone else took their seats.

The guests approached the high table one by one or as couples to congratulate Merlin and Morgana. When Lord Godwyn and Elena came up to give their congratulations, Merlin felt a bit awkward. He remember having to save Elena from a Sidhe that was inside of her and she didn't remember. There was no reason for it to be awkward, but it just felt odd to him to speak to her.

"Lord Merlin," Mithian greeted when she approached. She was smiling widely.

"Princess Mithian," he responed with standing and giving her a little bow.

"I must say, Merlin, I never though you of all people would have magic. I wasn't sure what aspect surprised me the most. Your marriage or the magic."

"Well, it did shock a lot of people. Arthur took it much better than I expected. Especially after I threw him in the stocks. I'm just glad he forgave me for both."

"As am I. You will make the land better, I know it." Mithian then turned to Morgana. "Lady Morgana, lovely to see you again. We haven't seen each other in quite sometime."

"It really has been too long, Your Highness. We could've seen each other sooner, but I was making very grave mistakes."

"I know," Mithian said sadly. "I'm very glad you are back though. I am sure we will all prove to be useful allies against any dangers that befall the land."

After Mithian moved on to greet Arthur and Gwen, Morgana and Merlin were finally alone.

"So, do you want to share your chambers or move into my new chambers? The chambers Arthur gave me are a bit larger than yours."

"Well, bigger is better, so I say we move into your's."


	11. Chapter 11

It had been a month since Merlin and Morgana's official wedding. In that short time, a lot had changed. Numerous magical folk could be see flowing into the city asking or audiences with the king. Arthur always accepted the requests with Merlin at is side. They met with Druids often.

Morgana had done nothing but good for the kingdom. She even saved Arthur's life once. The morning it happened, Guinevere left the castle for a ride in the woods and a picnic. Arthur allowed her to go as long as she had Merlin accompanying her, and she was more than happy to have him as part of her guard. With Merlin away, a sorcerer and his wife took the opportunity they had been waiting for. Although Arthur had began accepting magic and allowing it in the kingdom, this particular couple wanted revenge. Both their son and daughter had been killed by Uther years previously. They didn't care what good Arthur was doing, they both thought anyone could do what he had begun to do.

They requested an audience with Arthur. Morgana was running fashionably late that particular morning. The sorcereress rendered all the knights and guards in the room unconcious while her husband turned on Arthur. He began walking toward him, hand outstretched, and incanting a spell with his wife trailing slowly behind. That is what Morgana walked in on.

"What are you doing?" she shouted.

Both of them whirled around in a blur of light blue and green (for the man was wearing a green cloak and the woman was wearing a light blue dress). "I am here to get my revenge. Uther Pendragon killed my children, now I will kill his and the Pendragon line will die for good," the man shouted at her.

"I really don't think so," Morgana said calmly.

"You will not stop us," the sorceress said. She started to use a spell. Apparently she did not know who Morgana was. The spell was unleashed toward Morgana, but she deflected it with a lazy flick of the wrist.

"Leave and you live," Morgana told her. The assassins refused. The woman pulled out a dagger and threw it at Arthur with shocking precison. Morgana's eyes flashed gold as she used a spell to stop the dagger. "I warned you."

"Who are you?"

"I am the Lady Morgana, wife of Merlin. But maybe you know him as  _Emrys_." Both of them froze and the woman gasped. "I am also the King's sister. Your power does not even begin to rival mine. I am a High Preistess of the Old Religion." She blasted the woman into the wall, rendering her unconsious. The man began to retaliate before she did the same to him.

"Are you alright, Arthur?" Morgana asked, approaching him.

"Y-yes," he said, attempting to compose himself. The guards and knights in the room were beginning to stir. He had not uttered a word since the two people entered the room because he was too shocked and believed he would truly die that time without Merlin there. "You saved my life, Morgana. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Does it remind you of the time when we were children and I saved you from that tiny snake in the castle gardens?" she laughed.

"I was six and it was at least a foot long! It wasn't funny," he fumed.

A messanger was sent out to let Gwen and Merlin know what had happened. They raced back to the citadel as quickly as possible.

"What exactly happened?" Merlin asked, bursting through the doors of the council chambers.

"Long story short, Morgana saved me from a witch bent on avenging her children, who were killed by my father," Arthur told him.

"Oh. Really?" he looked toward Morgana. She wore a smile that meant she was silently bragging. "This sort of thing is getting really old. If they want revenge, at least plan something original! What happened to them?"

"They're in the dungeons. They're still unconsious. They will be executed for the attempted assassination of the king, not for magic."

"I believe you have earned a reward, my lady," Merlin told Morgana.

"Merlin! Do not speak of such vulgar things in the company of others and do not let me hear of your defiling of my sister again. I know you can, but  _I_ don't want to hear of it!"

"That is  _not_ what I was talking about, Arthur. If you kept your mind out of the gutter, we wouldn't have nearly as many pointless exchanges."

"Just go, Merlin," Gwen said, smiling. Arthur gave her an inquiring look.

Merlin led Morgana from the room as Arrhur asked, "you know what he has for her, I take it?"

"Yes. Come and see," she told him and she led him up to the balcony over looking the courtyard.

Merlin and Morgana emerged into the sun filled courtyard bustling with people.

"What is it you wanted to do, Merlin?" she asked.

"Just wait." He opened his mouth and spoke a language she did not understand. She knew it was the dragon language though.

Moments later a small figure flew over the castle and descended into the courtyard. A few people stopped to look on while others went about their business. The people of Camelot were quite used to having a dragon arrive in the courtyard and converse with Merlin. Though they had never seen this dragon before.

"Merlin," Morgana whispered approaching the dragon, who landed a few feet from them. It was white and a bit bigger than a horse.

"Her name is Aithusa. She was asking for you. How have you met before?"

"She saved me once. It was after Arthur took the throne back from me the second time. The time I worked with Helios. My magic wouldn't work and a knight stabbed me in the side. I managed to get into the forest before I collapsed. I remember waking to see a small white dragon looking over me. It was surprised. I always thought the Great Dragon was the last dragon."

"He was. I rode out with Arthur and the Knights once to retrieve a dragon egg from a tomb. Someone was after it and Arthur wanted to get to it first and make sure it was never hatched. I managed to steal it and I hated it. Thus Aithusa was born."

"She's beautiful." Aithusa made some strange noises."She said thank you, you are too. She hasn't learned English yet. Kilgharrah said it will come to her naturally within another year or so."

While Morgana talked to Aithusa and Merlin related what Aithusa was saying, Arthur and Gwen looked on from above.

"So that's the dragon Merlin talked about hatching?" Arthur asked Gwen. He remembered being slightly angry when Merlin told him that story.

"Yes. While we were having our picnic near the river, Aithusa just flew down from the sky. Merlin spoke with her and told me she was asking about Morgana. I didn't understand why though. I'm sure Merlin will explain that part to us."

"Well, she is rather... nice looking," Arthur said. "Much better to look at than that decrepit, evil, riddle giving Great Dragon."

"Now Arthur, behave. The Great Dragon may have attacked Camelot, but he has also done a lot to help protect it. It must be a dragon thing to give riddles. It sort of fits. Merlin has always been a riddle as well."

That evening, Arthur requested that Merlin and Morgana dine with him and Gwen. They even invited Gaius to dine as well.

"There is a magical illness spreading like wildfire within the city. I shall prepare a remedy for you and the Lady Morgana. It will be ready in the morning, my lord," Gaius announced. He had a glint in his eye.

Merlin, who had been taking a sip of wine, choked and spluttered, "Gaius! I told you not to call me that!"

"Sorry, Merlin, I had to annoy you," Gaius laughed. Everyone else laughed as well.

"So, Gaius, what is the magical illness? I've never heard of such a thing before?" Morgana asked.

"Nor have I," Merlin said.

"Since the ban has been lifted and magical folk have been pouring into the city, it has surfaced. Such illnesses are common in places where those with magic congregate in large numbers."

"What are the symptoms?" Gwen asked, curiously.

"Well, the first sign is the eyes. They will remain gold, even while not performing magic."

"That isn't that bad," Arthur said.

"No, but then it gets worse. There can be random bursts of magic that cause all sorts of things to happen. People can be injured, knocked out, things could explode or burst into flame. I feel confident that it would be much worse for both Merlin and Morgana due to their power. Especially Merlin."

"We'll be sure to take some in the morning, Gaius," Morgana said, smiling.

"Yeah, thank you for telling us. Now I have a proposal, Arthur," Merlin said, turning to Arthur.

"Well, what is it?"

"I wish to go away with Morgana for a week." Morgana looked shocked.

Gwen and Arthur exchanged a look. "Merlin," Gwen said, "I know you of all people deserve it, but I'm not sure it is wise."

"I agree with Guinevere. You were away today and look what happened. Luckily Morgana walked in when she did. There are somethings I can't stop. Imagine what would happen if you were both gone."

Gaius remained silent, knowing Merlin had an idea.

"I knew you would say that, but I have it planned out already. I know someone that could be here with you for the week are away. We would leave in the middle of the night so no one knows when we left, how long we will be gone and where we are going.""Where  _are_ we going, Merlin?" Morgana asked."I don't know. It will be a surprise for us both," Merlin smiled. Morgana knew he had some sort of idea so she merely nodded.

"Who will come here then?" Arthur asked.

"Alator of the Catha. He would be more than honoured to help me. Before you ask, yes he was the one that kidnapped Gaius that time for Morgana and tortured him to find out who Emrys was."

"I see," Arthur said, confused.

"Yes. He didn't tell Morgana at the time and he attacked her. Sorry about that, Morgana. But he's a fantastic person and he is rather powerful as well. He will be a tremendous help. Also, I have this," Merlin said reaching into his pocked to withdraw two small clear spheres.

"What are they?" Gwen asked.

"I found these in the vaults when you allowed me to gather some spell books. These are enchanted crystal spheres. They allow communication. If you hold it in your hand and speak, I will hear it. So no matter where we are, if you need us to return for some reason, use it and we will be here as quickly as possible."

"How could you get back so quickly?" Arthur asked him.

"Dragonlord. Remember? The dragon can fly. He wouldn't be too happy, but it wouldn't be the first time he has flown me somewhere. It is a wonderfully thrilling experience. Maybe I'll talk him into letting you fly on him one day."

"I see. So I just have to hold it and talk and you hear me?" Merlin nodded. "So when will you leave?"

"Tomorrow night. It will just be a week. I have already sent word to Alator and he will arrive tomorrow."

The following day, Merlin and Morgana began preparing for their departure. They packed clothes and food in bags. Alator arrived that afternoon and he was introduced to Arthur and Gwen. He was glad to see Merlin again and he was pleased that Morgana had changed her way.

After the sun set, Morgana and Merlin gathered their things and headed for the dungeons. Arthur, Gwen and Gaius were there to say goodbye. After they exchanged farewells, they headed through a secret tunnel leading to the west side of the castle. They exited near the woods and found Gwaine and Percival waiting for them with a pair of horses.

"Thank you, Gwaine, Percival," Merlin said.

"No problem, Merlin, Lady Morgana," Percival said, bowing his head.

"Be careful, won't you? I know how you are sometimes, Merlin," Gwaine laughed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Don't worry, Gwaine, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Morgana smirked.

"Have a safe trip," they said as Merlin and Morgan turned to the south and headed off into the woods.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Morgana asked.

"I want it to be a surprise. You'll see when we get there. Its a two day trip."

Together, they rode off into the darkness.


End file.
